Olympic sailors go Extreme 40ing

Volvo is supporting the Extreme Sailing Series in Cardiff and so this morning there were some very excited Team GBR sailors here, chomping at the bit to try their hand on one of the high speed Extreme 40 catamarans in today’s blustery conditions on Cardiff Bay.
Paul Goodison has been here in an official capacity, coaching the Oman Sail boats Oman Air and The Wave, Muscat. For someone who was supposed to be convalescing after his back injury during the Olympic Games, he seems to be very active still....
“I have torn a ligament,” Goodson says of his diagnosis. “Strangely they say the more active it is, the more blood flows to it and the quicker it will fix, but when it gets too sore they say to stop before I do any more damage. I was going to go sailing with Oman Air yesterday because Will [Howden] wasn’t very well, but I didn’t want to risk it...”
However he and girlfriend, 470 silver medallist Saskia Clark did take part in Mersea Week last week sailing an RS400. Goodison quips: “It was the only time we had a chance to be alone together! I helmed and didn’t do that much hiking...”
Goodison was a newcomer to catamaran racing up until this spring when he acquired an A-Cat, but this is his first Extreme 40 experience. “They are pretty cool boats. I haven’t been on a AC45, and it doesn’t look like you can drive them quite as hard as a 45, you have to shy away a bit.
“I can’t believe they race them in these tiny venues. When I first came here it was like ‘are we going out to sea?’ And Leigh [McMillan] was like ‘no’. It is pretty astounding how they get such big boats around such small

MEMBERSplease log in to read the full article.

Password sharing is not permitted and is in breach of our Terms of Use